Moody 'Garden Talk' Tuesday to be about the healing properties of plants

The "Garden Talk" that I mentioned last week will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Healing Garden at the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden, 2200 W. 28th St.

For a number of years I've been interested in growing herbs in my garden for culinary uses. Then I began to think along the lines of what they have to offer us for medicinal purposes. Many pros and cons on the subject, of course, as to their value.

But I feel we need to educate ourselves in any and all subjects in order to be able to make wise choices and this is true in all areas of our lives.

I've recently heard a lot about flower essences. We know that flowers are part of the reproduction process of a plant; we know flowers are here for us to see, smell and enjoy. So why can't they be here for healing, too?

My daughter, Alica (A-lee-sa) has been interested in flower essence for quite awhile and has educated me a bit on it, too. Sometime ago she suggested the book 'The Bach Flower Remedies' by Dr. Edward Bach to help me understand more about the healing qualities of flowers.

I learned that Dr. Bach developed the flower remedies through his work in homeopathy. He believed that by correcting harmful mental attitudes, you can stop the disease from becoming physical, or you can treat the disease when it is at an energy level.

I can see that through our own culture, we easily accept how we physically use a plant but what it offers on a mental and spiritual level is new to me. Some people say the use of flower essence is psychological; however, children and pets often have the most remarkable and immediate response.

The use of flower essences for healing is a new concept in our country but has been much more used in other countries for centuries.

Yes, our guest speaker for the "Garden Talk" is Alica Gardner. She is visiting in the Yuma area from Massachusetts, where she does flower essence consultations at a center for natural medicine on Cape Cod.

Alica says she first became interested in flower essence in 1982 when she began her study in herbs and their healing qualities. Flower essences are just one of the many ways to use herbs for healing - they can be used in conjunction with teas, tinctures, essential oils and medicines.

I'm still a mother and I like to take some credit for Alica's interest in flowers. I've always had a lot of houseplants and when she was born, I was determined not to put them up out of her way. She was going to have to learn to live with and appreciate them.

So from early on, I would carry her in my arms over to the plants and say, "Pretty flowers.' She soon learned to say it, too: "Becee wow-wees."

Every area has different plants used for healing and since she was born in Arizona, she has long had an interest in the plants of the Southwest. She will be talking about the plant signature and what does the plant have to teach us about its healing qualities.

For example: The Southwest has aloe and we all know to put it on a burn and it soothes and calms the pain of the burn. The flower essence of the aloe helps you to be patient with whatever healing process you are experiencing. So it soothes and calms your anxiety.

Ocotillo, a plant we are very familiar with here in the Southwest, is often used physically as a fence and actually takes root and grows as a living fence. The flower essence from the ocotillo helps you to establish boundaries and say no when it is needed.

What I find interesting in all of this is that in addition to modern medicine, you can have in your own garden some natural, safe and powerful healing aids to support you. This is just another area of gardening therapy.

Our individual needs and the research we each do may or may not coincide with the ideas and feelings of those around us. But we each have to do what we feel is best for us. No two of us are alike.

So if you find this sort of thing interesting I hope you will be able to join us for the "Garden Talk" on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 in the Healing Garden.

Thought for the day: Yes, we can learn from our children.

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Ellen Gardner, a Master Gardener who writes this column for the Federated Garden Clubs of Yuma, can be contacted at 343-4020 or gardner@digitaldune.net